famous, only second to its anti-israel bias, and we pay money for that. the u.s. currently pays 22% of the u.n.'s operating budget. the next closest, japan, pays 12.5%. most nations pay 0.01%. what are we getting for that money? no, really? what are we getting? but back to me, of course. traffic was a bear this morning. so i think the u.n. would be better served somewhere else. i'm sure another struggling nation would love to make some money off the well-heeled diplomats who inhabit the building and tbut like high maintenance wife who is all take and no give, i think it's clear the as you know more trouble than it's worth. that does it for "the cycle." it's all yours. >> sarah elizabeth, you might have considered walking if you were stuck in a cab for an hour. >> i should have. >> it's tuesday, september 25th, and it's presidents and prime ministers at the crossroads of the world.

serious issues demand serious leadership. >> let me be clear, america wants to resolve this issue through diplomacy, and we believe that there is still time and space to do so. that time is not unlimited. >> leaders who will stand up against tyranny. >> the iranian government continues to prop up a dictator in damascus and supports terrorist groups abroad. >> not bluster in public. >> we somehow feel we're at the mercy of events. never apologize for america. >> then kowtow to the rich in quiet rooms. >> what you do is you say to move thing around the best way you can, you hope for some degree of stability but you recognize it's going to remain an unsolved problem. >> you can't have it both ways, mitt. auto i'm not familiar precisely with exactly what i said but i stand by what i said whatever it was. it has been a heck take day

in new york city with the president delivering major speeches at the united nations and the clinton global initiative where his republican rival mitt romney also offered some remarks. and in a breathless day of nonstop talk and travel, mr. romney has just arrived for a rousing event in ohio where he's desperately hoping to claw his way out of a substantial polling deficit. there are sign mrs. romney may be coming to his senses after joking at the clinton global initiative that he could do with a little help from a former president. >> if there's one thing we've learned in this election season, by the way, it is that a few words from bill clinton can do a man a lot of good. all i got to do now is wait a couple days for that bounce to happen. >> right, we'll keep our eye on that. the other bump that romney loves to talk about these days is his attack on the president for saying the middle east would face bumps in the road and romney's suggestion that the president was somehow referring to the deaths of the american

ambassador to libya and three other diplomats. a theme that romney reiterated today though in a more muted form. >> syria has witnessed the killing of tens of thousands of people. the president of egypt is a member of the muslim brotherhood. our ambassador to libya was assassinated in a terrorist attack. iran is moving toward nuclear weapons capability. we somehow feel that we're at the mercy of events rather than shaping events. >> now, that is a rather different romney to the one we heard behind closed doors at a certain fund-raiser where he seemed quite will to remain at the mercy of all sorts of events like, say, those in the middle east. >> committed to the elimination of israel and issues i say there's just no way. you move thing along the best

way you can and you hope for some degree of stability but you recognize it's going to remain an unsolved problem. >> and, of course, it was in stark contrast to the president who addressed the united nations today on a wide range of issues warning iran that time is running short for a diplomatic resolution to their nuclear ambitions. >> make no mistakes, a nuclear armed iran is not a chal llenge that can be contained. that's why the united states will do what we must to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. >> the president devoted a large portion of his speech to the arab spring and its fallout. just two weeks after the attacks that killed ambassador chris stevens, the president promised even as we will bring the killers to justice, he will not back down from supporting democracy nor from protecting freedom of speech. indeed, the president extended his spirited defense of free

expression even to remarks against himself. >> as president of our country and commander in chief of our military, i accept that people are going to call me awful things every day. and i will always defend their right to do so. [ applause ] >> i wonder who he's been talking about there. let's get right to our panel now. in washington dana mill bank, political columnist for "the washington post." in west palm beach, florida, msnbc political analyst professor michael eric dyson who we have persuaded to leave his mojito by the poolside and in washington, political analyst david corn. david, we know mitt romney behind closed doors is quite willing to let all sorts of thorny international issues be kicked down the road. yet today he complains of our being at the mercy of events. now, should we assume that given

his running of a single olympics in utah he's now qualified to dominate every world nation and make them behave as we'd like them to? >> excuse me, you took what he said today seriously? >> i did. i always do. >> i think that's the problem -- >> i'm sorry. >> as you did, as millions did, you know, those tapes i put out last week, you know, the stuff that he said about the palestinian/israeli crisis was a little overshadowed by the 47% remark which more people could relate to, but it was quite troubling because he was pandering to i think as much an extent as we've ever seen a candidate pander in talking to the donors in that room -- >> david, david, you're saying it was quite troubling. i thought it was absolutely staggering that a man would stand up two purports to be president of the united states and describe the palestinians as totally disinterested in any form of peace. it's unbelievable. >> put that aside. i mean, he may believe that, and

wrongly so, but what he said was in that meeting, he doesn't believe in a two-state solution, which he's entitled to believe, but publicly he's say he believed in a two-state solution. he's either lying there or lying to the public. in the same set of remarks he joked a former secretary of state had called him and said, you know, i think there are prospects for peace in the middle east and romney says literally, really? i didn't delve into that with him. he showed no interest in a way to peace in the middle east. you put that together and this is a guy who is not serious on the issue, yet he goes to the u.n. today and says that obama is willing to be shaped by external events. i mean, it's really something that we should be laughing or maybe crying at and not taking it all seriously. >> okay. well, dana, corn is utterly dismissing mr. romney. romney's foreign policy mouthpiece was challenged by andrea mitchell to defend his

somewhat hawkish posture towards iran. take a listen, dana. >> is governor romney really prepared to go to war with iran right now and open up a regional war? >> so governor romney has not advocated military action and any suggestion that he has by the president or his surrogates is a mischaracterization. >> dana, i'm sorry, so romney doesn't advocate military action, but the president is weak for not advocating military action. how does that one work? >> let me explain it that way, the position romney is taking on any foreign policy issue is he disagrees with president obama regardless of president obama's position on this. afghanistan. he disagrees with it. what would he do differently? >> nothing. >> we don't know. he disagrees with the position on iran, on israel. what would he do differently? nothing, because the united states are at the mercy of events unless he is going to

reinstate the neocon advisers. >> 17 of the 24 advised president bush. >> and we saw what the results of that were. yes, you can shape events and you can invade iraq and we see years later what the consequences of that were. so short of that, he does not -- of starting a new war, he doesn't really have another policy option. >> excellent. professor dyson, romney has claimed that the president belittled the deaths of ambassador stevens and three other americans when he spoke of the middle east experiencing bumps in the road. that's obviously a desperate attempt to undermine the president on foreign policy. and yet at the same time, sir, mr. romney thinks nothing of belittling 47% of the american population. >> absolutely right. the reality is this, is that mitt romney is attempting to exploit the statements by president obama, take them out of context, and use them as a

pretext to justify his assault upon the foreign policy of the obama administration and yet we know what he really thinks. again, we've seen behind the curtain. we see that the wizard of oz is a small guy. we see os not the big, bad wolf that he claims to be in his hawkish policies. here is a guy who dismiss the with elite condescension with the vast majority of americans. it's inexplicable why mitt romney would continue to poll even moderately well among those members of the white working class or working poor or those who are even in the middle class because mitt romney thinks they're a bunch of moochers and hangers on and victimizers and victim hmong gmongerers. his picture of them is so distorted that we can't trust what he says about obama and we can't even trust what he says about the people who would ostensibly be part of his constituency. i think the man is confused.

it's not the bump on the road, it's the bump on his head from which he's suffering a bunch of stars and he can't see. >> i want to put a question to all of you. despite mitt romney delivering i think a relatively reasonable speech for him, he did manage to throw in his hackneyed line about not apologizing for america. is that his favorite foreign policy strategy? >> he wrote a whole book about it. >> i have read the book. >> he's kind of stuck with it at this point in time. i think it's very interesting, i was talking to an obama adviser just today, and, you know, the romney camp is trying to use the usual republican playbook on foreign policy, just call the democrat weak. everyone knows the democrats are weak so say he's weak and we're strong and that's good enough. after the bin laden raid and all the other attacks on al qaeda, libya, and what bush did in iraq and not really prosecuting the

war in afghanistan with any attention, the tables have turned, and you can't just have this reflective democrats are weak attack anymore. the public is not buying it. and yet romney still is sort of acting like it's 1979 and he can just come up with these catch phrases. i don't want to apologize for america, and it plays with his base. i don't think it gets him too far down the road with independents, with anybody who reads or thinks for more than a few moments but he's stuck, he's in this groove he's been in for a year and a half now and he can't get out of it even though i agree with you, the speech today was a lot more reasonable than a lot of things he's said up to date. >> dana, this line of the president's apologiesed even though there's no evidence -- >> the original definition is to explain, doesn't mean to express contrition. i think he's just saying i'm not going to explain. >> dana mill bank, professor michael eric dyson, and david

corn, thank you all. a big apple good-bye and a big hello to ohio, but is that battleground already sunk for the romney/ryan ticket? stay with us. >> if there's one thing we've learned in this election season, by the way, it is that a few words from bill clinton can do a man a lot of good. >> if the president wins re-election, which is what i think will happen. [ female announcer ] research suggests cell health plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. it has more of 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day 50+. [ male announcer ] you start your day... love you, too.

...thinking about what's important to you -- your family... ...the mortgage... the kids' college tuition. [ cellphone ringing ] but life insurance? [ horn honking ] life is unpredictable. that's why at fidelity life we want you to think about term life insurance -- taking care of your family's future expenses if something happens to you. it's easy. we get to know you and your needs, then give you our best quote and our competitors'. you choose and save up to 70%. that could mean $250,000 of coverage for just $15 a month. we offer plans with no medical exam, and we've been in business for over 100 years. call fidelity life. ♪ or visit fidelitylife.com for your free quote. [ horn honks ] hey, honey. do we have life insurance? ♪ [ male announcer ] or visit fidelitylife.com to secure your family's future today.

sven's home security gets the most rewards of any small business credit card! how does this thing work? oh, i like it! [ garth ] sven's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! woo-hoo!!! so that's ten security gators, right? put them on my spark card! why settle for less? testing hot tar... great businesses deserve the most rewards! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? here's your invoice.

mitt romney and paul ryan have just concluded one of the busiest days of their campaign in one of the most important states in this election, but sadly it may be a little too late. because polls show that with exactly six weeks until the election, ohio is no more ready to vote for romney than it was a year ago.

and thatself other swing states are also starting to line up behind the president. joining us now from california, former u.s. secretary of labor and professor at berkeley, professor of economics no less, robert reich, author of a new book, "beyond outrage." here in new york is my colleague krystal ball. just a few moments ago a rather tired and disheveled romney was speaking to a few supporters. take a listen to this. >> wait a second, wait a second. romney/ryan, romney/ryan, there we go. that's great. >> he's having to introduce them there to his name and his running mate's name. >> they were getting the hang of it. >> it was good. it's a bit of a problem though, isn't it, because some of his advisers are actually saying their internal polling shows that they're still in this fight and yet all the published polling that we have access to

suggests that things are slipping away. >> that's right. and a lot has been made, you know, we have the debates coming up, they could be pivotal and they certainly could be but we've heard that in the past. his vice presidential pick was supposed to dang the dynamics. his speech at the rnc was supposed to change the dynamics. all these pivot points have actually gone in the other direction. i think voters are getting locked into their decision ahead of the debates. it's hard to imagine mitt romney having such a stellar debate performance that he could really turn this thing around. >> are you sensing there's almost a rhythm of failure with all these events? there's a pattern of behavior? he has the opportunity, he doesn't take it. he has the opportunity, he doesn't exploit it. >> i think that's right. look, it's never easy to beat an incumbent president and to a certain extent i think the right and the romney campaign fell into their own psychology about how awful he is and how terrible a president and how no one could possibly vote for him without

surveying with a nonbiased eye and seeing a lot of americans really like this president an want to give him another shot. >> professor reich, let me play you the president's response to something romney said on "60 minutes." this is important, sir. >> governor romney was asked does he think it's fair that he pays a lower tax rate than somebody who is making $50,000 a year and he said yes. i think it's fair, and i also think that's the way you get economic growth. i have just got a different vision about how we grow an economy. i think, barbara, you grow an economy from the middle out, not from the top down. >> professor reich, is the 15% rate, is it that that matters, or is it the view that romney would never betray his own class? >> it's interesting, martin. we've had presidents before who are very wealthy, teddy roosevelt, franklin d. roosevelt, john f. kennedy, but they have been traitors to their class, at least that's how the

rich have felt. they have represented the poor, advanced labor unions, advanced social security, and all sorts of middle class and working class goals. mitt romney is the first very wealthy candidate for president who is a spokesman, a sponsor, a booster of the rich, and that, i think, is what americans are beginning to see more and more. the president is exactly right. you can't build an economy from the top down. we have seen over and over again that trickle down economics, giving big tax breaks to the rich hoping that everybody else benefits, simply doesn't work. it didn't work when george w. bush provided that big tax break. it did not help when ronald reagan -- reaganomics was presumed to create a lot of wealth for the middle class? no. the median wage began to stagnate. trickle down economics is a complete fraud. >> to professor reich's point, he says he thinks that perception is getting through to the electorate. "washington post" went to ohio

near where i used to live and they interviewed voters there, and the thing that kept coming up for voters is romney is for the millionaires. people are getting that message. they're understanding at a basic level what the professor is saying there. the thing that's so strange to me, we had this deal in the country, we had this idea, we'll have unrestrained capitalism, which generally leads to these sorts of concentrations of wealth that we've seen, but on the other hand we'll have bigger profits and we can better take care of the people who are falling behind. well, now that we have the unrestrained capitalism, they want to cut out that safety net. the ryan budget, 62% of the cuts from programs that benefit the poor. so you're having this huge accumulation of wealth and then you're cutting the bottom out from under from the people who are really struggling. >> and the people are beginning to understand that's what this game is. professor reich, you wrote recently that respecpublicans a blaming the candidate when they should really be blaming the party. what do you mean by that? >> it's easy at this stage in an

election, particularly when a candidate seems to be going down in the polls, for a party to blame the candidate. say, well, the real issue is a bad campaign, the wrong candidate, bad staffing, a bad organization, bad strategy, but what the republicans really should be facing is that the gop itself has become so out of step with the rest of this country that many americans seeing what the gop actually stands for, seeing the republicans at the convention, hearing the republicans in the primaries are beginning to say to themselves, we are not radical right people. we do not agree with this regressive radical right program that the gop is now becoming. this is not the republican party of your grandfather. there are no moderate republicans left. there are certainly no liberal republicans left. this is a hard right tea party-driven republican party and most americans, frankly, don't like it.

>> and i think that's exactly why you aren't seeing specifics from the romney campaign because the specifics of that right wing agenda are just absolutely -- >> they're untenable. professor reich, crikrystal bal thank you. we go straight to ohio to check in on the campaign trail. stay with us. but that doesn't mean we should be penalized for it. that's why liberty mutual insurance policies come standard with accident forgiveness, if you qualify. learn more at libertymutual.com. you're not just looking for a by house. eyes you're looking for a place for your life to happen.

like in a special ops mission? you'd spot movement, gather intelligence with minimal collateral damage. but rather than neutralizing enemies in their sleep, you'd be targeting stocks to trade. well, that's what trade architect's heat maps do. they make you a trading assassin. trade architect. td ameritrade's empowering web-based trading platform. trade commission-free for 60 days, and we'll throw in up to $600 when you open an account. ♪ spread a little love my way ♪ ♪ spread a little something to remember ♪ [ female announcer ] fresh milk and real cream makes philadelphia and the moment a little richer. i'm also a survivor of ovarian a writand uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen

and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. symptoms are not the same for everyone. i got sick...and then i got better. we're exactly six weeks from election day and this afternoon mitt romney touched down in the battleground state of ohio. he met up with his vp pick on the second day of their campaign bus tour. nbc's ron mott is traveling with the ryan camp and joins us now with more from the buckeye state. good afternoon, ron. the last time we saw mitt and paul together was way back on september the 1st. can you give us the feel for what their reunion was like today because i have to say we saw pictures earlier and it wasn't the most thrilling event i have ever seen. >> reporter: well, back on september 1st they were in

jacksonville together, and that crowd seemed a little more enthusiastic than this crowd. it was an outdoor event but it was a really tightly packed event in a concourse of a strip mall, if you will. here we're on the airfield at the dayton international, all the cheering really went up into the air and didn't quite play as energetic as the crowd did 3 1/2 weeks ago. but the republicans are saying this is what the governor and congressman ryan need to do is campaign together because the two of them together on the stage, there's more energy coming out of that microphone than we typically see when they're going at it solo. so we'll expect to see them get together between now and november 6th. right now the plan, of course, is to continue this bus tour through ohio. flying solo tomorrow will be governor romney up into the northeast part of the state. >> but, ron, even as i was watching those pictures, i mean, mr. romney looked disheveled and his running mate looked as though he'd rather be working out than stuck on the middle of that strip talking to this small group of people.

>> reporter: just went to an outdoor store to buy his daughter some gear for hunting season, paul ryan that is. maybe that explained his look. i will tell you that as this race heats up, it is fall in this part of ohio and dayton today. it's very chilly. probably 50, high 50s and a little wind. we had rain earlier. it's not the most sunshiny look for a rally, especially an outdoor rally, but there was some energy here, martin, to be sure. >> nbc's ron mott. off you go and catch the plane. thanks so much. >> reporter: okay. stay with us. our "top lines" are coming up next, including mr. paul ryan's beef with the nfl. take a number. >> i got to start off on something that was really troubling that occurred last night. did you guys watch that packer game last night? i mean, give me a break. [ female announcer ] research suggests cell health plays a key role

throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. it has more of 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day 50+.

[ female a $100 cream.e were flattered when regenerist beat flabbergasted when we creamed a $500 cream. for about $30 regenerist micro-sculpting cream hydrates better than over 20 of america's most expensive luxury creams. fantastic. phenomenal. regenerist. just begin with america's favorite soups. bring out chicken broccoli alfredo. or best-ever meatloaf. go to campbellskitchen.com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

from "60 minutes" and "the view" here are today's top lines. >> watched his interview on "60 minutes." i don't think he helped soften his image. >> i'd take a dollar for those programs, send them back to the states and say to the poor they should sit in their apartment and die. >> you paid 14% in federal taxes. is that fair? >> capital has already been taxed once at the corporate level. >> so you think it is fair? >> it's the right way to encourage economic growth. >> you grow an economy from the middle out, not from the top down. >> a few words from bill clinton can do a man a lot of good. >> if the president wins re-election, which is what i y think will happen. >> girls play like a team. congress could take some lessons. >> it's almost like an etch-a-sket

etch-a-sketch. >> when you have a fire in an aircraft, the windows don't open. >> you have a ritual where he tucks you in at night? >> i'm not telling you that. >> what does mitt wear to bed? >> as little as possible. >> we need backbone in the republican party. >> the devil is in the details, the angel is in the policy. >> did you watch the packer game last night? give me a break. >> there will be bumps in the road. >> why consider these bumps in a road. i read some work that said first of all that classroom size didn't seem to be driving the quality of education. >> when you look at the budgets, they're talking about slashing our investment in education. >> their conclusion is the greatest determiner of the success of a school system was the quality of the teacher. >> i get frustrated when i wear teacher bashing. >> you were lucky enough to attend cran brooke. >> i was delighted to have a terrific education. >> we pay taxes so kids who are going to public schools can have good teachers and can succeed.

>> let's get to our pnler panan. we're joined by thomas frank, us a latest book is out in paper book. we're also joined by the managing editor of thegrio.com joy ann reid. mitt romney talked about education and it reminded me of that time when he went to an inner city school not far from where you were in philadelphia and he lectured teachers about class size citing mckenzie research. your response to what he said? >> i don't know if i have a response for that. >> try not to use an expletive if you can. >> their overwhelming research says the opposite of what mitt romney is saying. the schools that fare the best are the schools that are the best resource schools but also the schools that are situated in the most safe communities and in communities where young people are fed properly and can walk to

and from school without worrying about being robbed or running into problems or troubles. we need to have safer, stronger communities, and the idea that having 40 students in one class -- i'm a professor so i can speak to this from my own experience. having 40 stuns versus 20 to 30 is the same or it doesn't have the impact or the fek -- on the effectiveness of teachers is absurd. >> professor there saying that was a crap burger. now, mr. romney's education plan as we can tell is to give parents a voucher, as i understand it, for $1,000 to go around and select your best school. now, i did some research this morning and discovered that kindergarten places in this city cost $23,000 on average. how well is that going to work for parents? you get your voucher. what do you pay for a week? >> i wonder how many vouchers it

would take to get a kid into cranbrook. >> it helps if your father is a governor and president of american motors. >> and it doesn't matter what the your grades are. at the end of the day it's very easy to say it doesn't matter the class size, it's all about the teacher. there was a time when tv the conservative position that parents had a responsibility to make sure that their kids were up for school on time, that they'd had breakfast, they were ready to learn. i have heard horror stories coming out of miami of kids who can't stay awake because they haven't had breakfast, they went to bed at 11:00 or 12:00, they have no computer, no way to complete their homework. there was a time when conservatives believed in parental responsibility or in helping parents to get their kids ready for school. now it's all the teacher's fault. >> can i add to that? i group up in a republican area of johnson county, kansas -- >> stop showing off. >> what distinguished this place is it was deeply devoted to education, deeply devoted to

education, but i want to suggest there's a different strategy to what mitt romney is saying that has absolutely nothing to do with education. this is not about education. the conservatives have a slogan, we should always remember this, defund the left, defund the left. when you take money out of, you know, what we're going to spend selectively for education and give it to your constituents, you know who is going to get the $1,000 and who will use the vouchers, the people who are already sending their kids to private school. you're taking resources away from the hated teachers union. of course. this is defund the left. >> professor peterson, you agree. >> they want to defund public education amongst a wide range of other public programs and mr. frank there is absolutely right. they want to privatize it at the exact same time. so what essentially happens is these vouchers are more like subsidies for folks who can already afford. even the most affordable private school is around $5,000 to $10,000. that $1,000 will be a subsidy for people who can afford it and it opens up a space where they

can continue to try to private advertise public education. >> it's important, too, there's also an industry growing up. there was a huge private industry of people who were running these charter schools, corporations that are running them, private entities. this is the idea of clawing back public money to give to still more poll plut krats. >> i'd like you to listen to this. >> what we've learned is everyone, blacks especially, are better off when the white gild bank is shut down as it was for more than a decade after the o.j. verdict but the media is in war mode. all they're talking about is racism. >> this was last night, miss ann coulter, saying that everything that malfunctions in this nation is due to the manifestation of white guilt.

can you explain that? >> you know, that really doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. that was a sort of cliche about literature of the subject in the 1950s and 60s. what i would suggest is this kind of -- the kind of touchiness and the sort of really thin skinned sensitivity that she's describing there. this is actually -- i mean, this is projection, okay? do you remember the career of sarah palin? >> i do. >> it's all about whining. it's all about complaining. the biography of sarah palin is called "the persecution of sarah pal palin." it's all about how mean people have been to her. >> he's saying this comment is a manifestation of miss coulter's psychiatric illness. >> i can't quarterly with threl. this is about right grievance.

they have spend 30 years stoking a sense of grievance. they have completely distracted them from the issues of what the 1% are really doing to them by constantly saying they're trying to take your stuff. those immigrants, those black people. >> prose fessor, isn't joy righ this is white grievance about the fact there's a black man in the white house? >> i haven't seen any -- if you hear about bank and news about wells fargo using discriminatory practices to give out bad loans to people of color, that's the only banking i'm hearing about. let's think about this comment. i'm not sure if we shouldcoulte formal educated response. >> food stamp president, to mitt romney saying don't ask him for free stuff. >> it's all coming from the right. >> it's all come from mr. romney. thank you, sir, for giving me a considered and nonexpletive

riddled statement. that was tough. thank you. coming up, debbie wasserman schultz on the changing face of congress. stay with us. ask me what it's like when my tempur-pedic moves. [ male announcer ] why not talk to someone who owns an adjustable version of the most highly recommended bed in america? ask me about my tempur advanced ergo. goes up. goes up. ask me what it's like to get a massage anytime you want. goes down. goes down. [ male announcer ] tempur-pedic brand owners are more satisfied than owners of any traditional mattress brand. ergonomics. [ male announcer ] tempur-pedic. the most highly recommended bed in america. [ female announcer ] for more information or to find a retailer near you, visit tempurpedic.com.

[ male announcer ] it started long ago. the joy of giving something everything you've got. it takes passion. and it's not letting up anytime soon. at unitedhealthcare insurance company, we understand that commitment. and always have. so does aarp, an organization serving the needs of americans 50 and over for generations. so it's no surprise millions have chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they help cover some of the expenses medicare doesn't pay. and save you up to thousands in out-of-pocket costs. to find out more, request your free decision guide. call or go online today. after all, when you're going the distance, it's nice to have the experience and commitment to go along with you. keep dreaming. keep doing. go long.

droid does. and does it launch apps by voice while learning your voice ? launch cab4me. droid does. keep left at the fork. does it do turn-by-turn navigation ? droid does. with verizon, america's largest 4g lte network, and motorola, droid does. get $100 off select motorola 4g lte smartphones like the droid razr. hethey don't need one,gh wes, clay and demarcus tried on the new depend real fit briefs for charity to prove how great the fit is even while playing pro football. the best protection now looks, fits and feels just like underwear. get a free sample and try one on for yourself. she was a picky eater. well, now i'm her dietitian, and last year, she wasn't eating so well. so i recommended boost complete nutritional drink to help her get the nutrition she was missing. and now she drinks it every day. well, it tastes great! [ male announcer ] boost has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones,

and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. all with a delicious taste. [ dietitian ] now, nothing keeps mom from doing what she loves -- being my mom. [ male announcer ] stay strong, stay active with boost. a year ago republicans assumed they probably had the white house and possibly the senate within their grasp. today they have a policy-free presidential candidate losing in key swing states. and why? well, because of statements like this. >> 47% who are with him who are dependent on government who believe they are victims works believe that the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they're entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. my job is not to worry about those people. >> joining us now is congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz of florida who also chairs the democratic national committee. good afternoon. >> good afternoon, martin. great to be with you.

>> what happened? anyone, even mitt romney, was supposed to be winning the white house. is it him? is it his real 9% tax rate? is it the fact he dismisses 47% of the american people? i mean, i could keep going, but would you like to tell me why? >> well, can i pick "d," all of the above? it's really been astonishing to watch mitt romney engage in what has been the most divisive, exclusive presidential campaign ever run by a candidate. from the revelation that he is just dismissive of 50% of the country, 47% of the country, which includes people, martin, like seniors who have paed their whole lives in medicare and social security and deserve to have that safety net be there for them when they retire or students who are simply trying to make a better life for themselves. >> or how about serving members of the military? how about serving members of the military? >> you beat me to it, exactly.

or our members of our military, veterans of the armed forces who when they are finished with their service and defending our country come home and, for example, want to take advantage of the gi bill for the 21st century or the health care benefits from the va. these are the people that mitt romney in the 47% just wrote off and said that he's never going to get their support. well, you know, it's probably not at this point. but what we really have to be clear about though is that this election and those comments underscore that there's just a clear choice. president obama has been making it very clear. we need to rebuild this economy from the middle class out. we need to make sure everybody has a fair shot and a fair shake and plays by the same set of rules, and we need to make sure that we have a president in the white house fighting for the middle class and working families and moving us forward. >> okay. well, a number of conservatives are suggesting that paul ryan should be put out there more often. they'd like him to be more of an attack dog. but as you know, paul ryan's

budget has been described as the most callous, unchristian, and mathematically dyslexic budget that's ever been produced by anyone. so pushing paul ryan out there, my en, he didn't say the 47% comment, but he's not a lot better, is he? >> no. you see, what mitt romney was caught on that video saying that he was dismissive of the 47%, and paul ryan has just been completely dismissive of the 47% through his actual policies as the chair of the budget committee. so we have words and deeds in a marriage of a republican presidential ticket that essentially says to the middle class and working families, to folks who are just trying to make a better life for themselves, and live the american dream, you don't matter. and, you know, i'm a member of the budget committee. i have had a front row seat to the romney/ryan vision of america. >> oh, i know, i have seen you

sitting in those hearings. >> yeah. and what the romney/ryan budget says is let's turn medicare into a voucher system and increation seniors' premiums by $6,400. let's pass an additional $5 trillion in tax cuts skewed towards the wealthiest americans and let's ask the middle class to pay for those tax cuts. >> congresswoman, you don't seem to understand, this is going to help everyone. this is going to revive the economy. you don't seem to understand, those massive tax cuts are going to help everybody. that's wh that they keep tellin us. >> what i understand is mitt romney and paul ryan thinks we should go backwards, back to failed policies of the past that nearly crashed our economy. they have got us into the worst economic crisis since the great depression. the trickle down economics that's been tried and failed and essentially are saying let's help millionaires and

billionaires who are already doing really well do even better and maybe the crumbs from their success will drop on the rest of us. that's not the approach we should be taking. we need to take the approach that president obama and joe biden have been fighting for, that we're all in this together and we need to work together to continue to move this country forward so that in america if you work hard and play by the rules, that you'll have an opportunity to succeed. that is a dramatically different approach than romney and ryan. >> very quick question, if i can, congresswoman, and i wonder if you could be brief, what are your expectations for the house and the senate? >> well, i think we have a real opportunity to take the house back. steve israel's leadership, the drive for 25, we have phenomenal candidates all over the country, and we have a real opportunity with president obama winning and doing well in the battleground states for his coattails to be strong, but this is a grassroots campaign up and down the ticket. that's what's going to be key to our success, running a strong

grassroots, people to people, neighbor to neighbor campaign versus the avalanche of special interest resources that are funding republican campaigns through super essentially having a handful of billionaires trying to buy the white house and the congress for republicans. that's the contrast we'll be presenting. >> that wasn't brief enough but i forgive you. congresswoman, debbie wasserman schultz, thank you so much for joining us. >> stay with us. much more ahead on this national voter registration day. it's important. stay with us. bob...

oh, hey alex. just picking up some, brochures, posters copies of my acceptance speech. great! it's always good to have a backup plan, in case i get hit by a meteor. wow, your hair looks great. didn't realize they did photoshop here. hey, good call on those mugs. can't let 'em see what you're drinking. you know, i'm glad we're both running a nice, clean race. no need to get nasty.

here's your "honk if you had an affair with taylor" yard sign. looks good. [ male announcer ] fedex office. now save 50% on banners.

today is nootiational voter registration day. an important opportunity to remind everybody of their right to vote and to push back against efforts that seem designed to undermine voting rights, especially in critical swing states. the first lady chose to address

the issue during a visit with the congressional black caucus. >> make no mistake about it, this is the march of our time because in the end it's not just about who wins or who loses or who we vote for on election day. it's about who we are as americans. >> karen finney is an msnbc political analyst and the former dnc communications director. karen, given that there isn't any substantive evidence for widespread voter fraud in this country, do you think this is now part of the republican talk-it to win the election in november, basically prevent as many democrats as possible from getting into a voting booth? >> well, let's see. we had a disaster in 2001. then we had help america votes act and then in 2008 when the obama complain completely changed the electorate by registering a new swath of

voters, young voters, guess what, the president won. and guess what? right after that in, what, 30 states -- >> pure coincidence. pure coincidence. >> i mean, you know, it just so happens all these voter i.d. laws happen to pop up in states where we have seen the most growth in african-american and latino voters, people of voting age. so i'm sure it's just a coincidence though, martin. >> as we look at the map, karen, we find no fewer than 33 states have enacted voter i.d. laws. the attorney general, eric holder, has said he will not allow voting rights to be, and i'm quoting him, impinged by those who seek naked political advantage, but how many voters do you think could be disenfranchised by these voter i.d. laws? >> you know, martin, the brennan center had estimated about 5 million voters and then the advancement project actually came out earlier this week with a report that suggests about 10 million latino voters could be

disenfranchis disenfranchised, not just because of the voter i.d. laws, but because remember it's a whole swath of activities. it's these purges we've seen in states like florida where they're purging their lists and they happen to be purging latino-sounding names and in democratic areas more than other areas of the state. it's also the changes in the requirements for documentation and sort of requiring documentation that people just simply don't have. so they've done a number of things to create these barriers. now, the justice department is fighting back pretty hard. there are a number of cases. i think we're doing well in a number of states. the other thing i want to mention is people need to remember it's not just the voter i.d. laws. we've already started to see that tea party group, true the vote, their voter suppression and voter intimidation tactics, filming people going into their early vote. they're challenging about 200 college students in ohio who happened to not put the

number -- the room number from their dorm on their voter registration. so there's a lot of shenanigans going on. people have to register to vote. make sure you know where your voting location is and make sure you have all the information you need on voting day. >> and the people said amen. karen finney, thank you so much. and we'll be right back. i was teaching a martial arts class and having a heart attack.

my brother doesn't look like a heart attack patient. i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i'm a fighter and now i don't have that fear. ♪ [ male announcer ] this is karen and jeremiah. they don't know it yet, but they're gonna fall in love, get married, have a couple of kids, [ children laughing ] move to the country, and live a long, happy life together where they almost never fight about money. [ dog barks ] because right after they get married, they'll find some retirement people who are paid on salary, not commission. they'll get straightforward guidance and be able to focus on other things, like each other, which isn't rocket science.

it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. now we need a little bit more... a little bit more vanilla? this is great! [ male announcer ] at humana, we believe there's never been a better time to share your passions... because the results... are you having fun doing this? yeah. that's a very nice cake! [ male announcer ] well, you can't beat them. [ giggles ] ohh! you got something huh? whoa... [ male announcer ] humana understands the value of spending time together that's a lot of work getting that one in! let's go see the birdies. [ male announcer ] one on one, sharing what you know. let's do it grandpa. that's why humana agents will sit down with you, to listen and understand what's important to you. it's how we help you choose the right humana medicare plan for you.